An efficient Fog-harvesting hybrid Super-Wettable surface using imprinted MoS2 nanoflowers

Bio-inspired hybrid super-wettable surface (HSWS) has become a major focus in fog-harvesting research. Here, we present a convenient and cost-effective method for fabricating HSWS using imprinted MoS2. MoS2 nanoflowers are imprinted with amino acid and octadecane, which endow them with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, respectively. By properly engineering the heterogeneous MoS2 compositions and blending ratio, the water collection efficiency factor (eta) of HSWS performs much better than that based on homogeneous MoS2. The eta of 20% is achieved using the optimal proportion (6:4) of hydrophobic and hydrophilic MoS2, which is doubled compared with pure MoS2 sample (10%), owning to synergy effect of optimized fog-capture and water transport processes during fog harvesting. These HSWSs are also highly reusable. HSWS based on imprinted MoS2 is a promising candidate for commercial application due to its ease of fabrication, low cost, and excellent cyclic stability.

Automated summary

In this study, a convenient and cost-effective method for fabricating a bio-inspired hybrid super-wettable surface (HSWS) using imprinted MoS2 was presented. By imprinting MoS2 nanoflowers with amino acid and octadecane, hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties were endowed. The water collection efficiency factor (eta) of the HSWS based on heterogeneous MoS2 compositions and blending ratio outperformed that of the homogeneous MoS2. The optimal proportion (6:4) of hydrophobic and hydrophilic MoS2 achieved an eta of 20%, which was double that of the pure MoS2 sample, demonstrating the synergy effect during fog harvesting.